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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of the
4Honorable Raymond Alan Bolden of Joliet, who passed away on
5August 17, 2021; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden was born in Chicago to Catherine
7Hester Ray and Adrian Bolden on December 17, 1933; he moved to
8Joliet as a teen and lived with his maternal grandfather,
9Edward "Papa" Ray; he graduated from Joliet Township High
10School in 1951 and Joliet Junior College in 1953; he served in
11the U.S. Air Force; he married Kathleen "Kat" Whitfield in
121956, and they raised three children together before she
13preceded him in death after 38 years of marriage; he earned his
14law degree from the University of Illinois in 1961; he married
15Deborah Hickman McLurkin in 1998; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Alongside his wife Kat, Judge Bolden was active
17in the Civil Rights Movement, and they battled ceaselessly
18against racial discrimination in housing, employment, and
19education; they partnered on numerous community projects,
20including the Warren-Sharpe Community Center, which they
21co-founded in 1990; he served as president of the Joliet
22Branch of the NAACP during the 1960s, and he later received the
23organization's Lifetime Achievement Award; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden was a trailblazer for over 40 years;
2he served as the first Black assistant state's attorney of
3Will County; he became a renowned criminal defense lawyer; he
4was a brilliant legal strategist and a powerful speaker who
5believed that the law could be a great force for social justice
6and equality; he was appointed the Will County Associate Judge
7in 1986, a post he held with distinction for 14 years;
8following his retirement from the bench, he returned to
9practicing law; he was later reappointed as a circuit court
10judge for a one-year term; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden was a lifelong member of Sacred
12Heart Parish, where he served in various ministries; alongside
13his wife Deborah, he continued to serve the community through
14the National Hook-Up of Black Women and the Black Bar
15Association of Will County, which he co-founded in 2007; he
16was also a committed White Sox fan; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden was a warrior for justice known for
18always standing on the side of equality and championing for
19the weak and oppressed; the practice of law was his passion and
20the fulfillment of his dream, but his heart belonged to his
21family; his legacy will live on in those he loved and inspired;
22and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden was preceded in death by his
2grandfather; his parents; his brothers, Frank, Joseph, and
3Edward; and his sister, June Bolden; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Judge Bolden is survived by his wife of 23 years,
5Deborah Bolden; his children, Kathryn "Kay" Bolden, Alan Scott
6(Erika) Bolden, and Joseph "Joe" Bolden; his grandchildren,
7Shayla Grayson, Joshua Bolden, Jeremy (Katie) Bolden, Karyn
8(Dennis) Omogbeme, McKay Bolden, McKenzie Bolden, and Cameron
9Bolden; his great-grandchildren, Ashanti Govan, Kyla Bolden,
10Jacari Bolden, Isaiah Bolden, Harlie Jade Bolden, and Cree
11Bolden; his bonus children, Justin McLurkin and Kimberly
12(David) Wright; his bonus grandchildren, Cole Hughes, Elliott
13Wright, Emerson Wright, Caitlyn McLurkin, and Sydney McLurkin;
14his sister-in-law, Betty (Billy) Byrd, and the entire Byrd
15family; his niece, Linda (Eric) Washington; his nephew, Eugene
16"Geno" Bolden; his special cousins, Barbara "Penni" Williams
17and Sherri Tramel; and his countless friends and relatives;
18therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we mourn the passing of the Honorable Raymond Alan Bolden and
22extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all
23who knew and loved him; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the family of Judge Bolden as an expression of our
3deepest sympathy.